


Untroubled

by AmeLee23



Series: Keith's Straight Love Stories [14]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Awkward Dates, Cultural Differences, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Fade to Black, Family Bonding, Family Fluff, Feelings Realization, First Time, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Galaxy Garrison, Heavy descriptions, Implied Sexual Content, Journalism, Keith (Voltron) Is Trying, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Keith (Voltron) is a Good Boyfriend, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Keith has a foster family, Keith has a southern accent, Keith is an emo boy, Long-Distance Relationship, Long-Term Relationship(s), Lots of Texas talk, Love at First Sight, Making Out, Protective Family, Protective Keith (Voltron), Rants, Rock Bands References, Sexual Tension, Slow Romance, Socializing Is Hard, Soft Keith (Voltron), Teenagers, The Reader Is Canadian, Traveling, Underage Drinking, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, piloting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:49:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26144398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmeLee23/pseuds/AmeLee23
Summary: If she had to describe their journey, she'd call it a journey of courage. An opportunity rightfully taken that lead to greater things than she could have ever imagined."We should make a pact." He then suddenly said."A pact?""For the next three months, let's forget about everything. Let's just be happy."
Relationships: Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Keith (Voltron)/Reader
Series: Keith's Straight Love Stories [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1126793
Kudos: 17





	Untroubled

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr Prompt: Texan Accent! Keith X Reader, when she discovers it for the first time.
> 
> A/N: This fanfic contains cultural references of Texas and Canada, but I am not American nor Canadian! If something is off please let me know so I can correct it!

The clock was ticking. With every passing second, the tap of her foot on the white marble floor was getting louder. A soft high pitched sound made itself home inside her ears, her fingertips tingling in anticipation. It took a lot of effort, but here she was, in the airport - everything was going according to plan. There weren't even any delays, her future waiting for her just beyond those yet to be opened doors.

She knew about the student exchange program, and still, when her homeroom teacher brought it up she was perplexed. Adventurous by nature, that hidden urge took control of her and she couldn't help the excitement as she was daydreaming on the bus ride home. She knew her parents would not agree to this, but she at least had to try. Their faces looked in no way cheery as she tried to explain this is the last time she could have such an experience. They originally did not even want to let her go away for college, so asking to go out of the country in her last year of high school really seemed like a bit of a stretch. It took at least a couple days of arguing before she came up with enough arguments to convince them to give her a shot at it. Eighteen of age, she was old enough to handle a trip like this on her own. Her parents did not think the same, but she was stubborn enough to do anything in her power to make this happen. She ran around town for weeks trying to get her passport and visa arranged, and the plane ticket was in no way cheap since it was such a short notice. But the distance was not that big, per se. She lived close to Toronto, Canada. The school that had accepted her was the Garrison Social Studies - Houston Center - and the flight would only take approximately 3 hours. Her friends had gone through much longer and taxing flights, so she knew from their stories what traveling entailed. She was positive all would be well.

She found her seat and sat down as comfortably as she could. The sky was awfully blue today, a sign of luck and prosperity. She closed her eyes momentarily, and as the plane took off, she felt like she was floating. Her world, her country, her home - it looked so small from up there. She could no longer make out the individual trees and familiarity of the streets. She will miss Canada, she thought. However, people need to grow, expand their horizons, try new things. A new beginning could refresh her bored spirit and pop that confining balloon her family had built around her.

Garrison Advanced Piloting, Houston; that's what the letter read. It had been sitting on Keith's desk for the last few weeks. It kept being the elephant in the room, the thing no one dared to speak about, no matter how much Shiro absentmindedly stared at it when he was in Keith's room. He did not ask for it, nor did he want to go through with it. The way he saw it, it wasn't his fault old man Iverson sent in a recommendation letter about him. Hell, he even thought the old man hated his guts. It came as a surprise, but not a good one. The teacher called him over once, twice, thrice the following week to discuss about this educational trip. Yet again, Keith didn't ask to be labeled as one of the Garrison's best pilots. That was simply who he was and what he was capable of, never had he thought of himself as being above anyone or special in any way. He didn't think he deserved this opportunity, and was sure James Griffin, his colleague, would have preferred it instead.

Still, no matter how much he denied reality, the letter existed and the offer was still standing.

Perhaps it was Shiro's attempts at persuading him that really did it. Shiro was his soul brother, a not-so-legal-guardian legal guardian. Keith was already over eighteen, so it wasn't like he needed to be looked after anymore. But he would never think of leaving Shiro, after all that they've been through together. They started out on bad terms, Keith having stolen his car in his first year of junior high. Shiro was astounded by his courage and soon he took interest in caring after Keith like a younger brother. When Keith moved to his father's old house, away from his foster family, he went through the worst emotional distress of his life yet. Even then, Shiro was there to save him and bring him back on track. So maybe time has finally come for Keith to return the favor.

Not all good things last forever, is something Keith had experienced so many times in his turbulent life. He saw the signs coming, but he was still mind blown when Shiro pleaded he take the offer to study in Houston so they could share an apartment together. Turns out, Adam, Shiro's fiance, has had enough of their recent fights and broke off the engagement. Shiro, embarrassed and heartbroken, wished for nothing more than to get away from it all for a while. He had known and loved Adam for over 5 years now, and he surely did not want to lose him. He figured, perhaps time and space could heal all wounds. That's why he asked to be transferred to Houston as a pilot assistant.

So in the end, Keith didn't have a choice. He couldn't yet understand the situation enough to meddle in two adults' relationship, but if this is what Shiro thought would be best, then he'll follow his brother to the end of the world. And that's how they both ended up in Houston, slowly unpacking their stuff after hours of driving through Texas' highways. They opened up two beers and sat down on the couch, in their new home, and before they knew it the movie faded in the distance and they both fell asleep from exhaustion.

The dorms at the Garrison center weren't that bad. They were spacious enough not to feel cramped or bothered by her roommate. The curfew, on the other hand, was pretty annoying. On every school day, all students had to be inside the dorm at 10 pm.

"Pretty stupid, right? But you get used to it." Her new roommate, Trish, was kind enough to help her unpack. She was half-Mexican, with pretty hazel eyes and a freckled nose. Her hair was curly black, but despite her innocent face, her clothing style was dark and gothic, consisting of band T-shirts and lots of rings and chain accessories. She also had tattoos on both her forearms, dark with a prominent splash of red. Trish was a very beautiful woman, her personality and presence strong and powerful. Her aura could be intimidating to the naked eye, but Trish was a misunderstood soul, bold and expressive. She was blunt and honest, talkative and an expert at making silence around her not seem awkward.

On the outside though, Trish was pretty stoic, self-centered and ignorant, but she never meant ill. The more she asked if her roommate was doing well, accommodating; the more she offered her free time to introduce a newbie to the world she knew, the more it was clear she enjoyed presence and breaking that thick loneliness of hers. After all, she's grown being patient and giving everyone an equal chance, and that attitude of hers towards others was probably what brought Trish to feeling comfortable with opening up.

Soon enough they got used to each other and life settled into a comfortable ordinary. Grades were yet again high, people were all interested in her, and for the people that immediately hated her, she couldn't help it. She couldn't become them, and she never intended to. However, ordinary is not what she wanted. She came all the way to Houston to break her habits, feed into that dark, thrill seeking part of hers. Here she did not need to pretend to be a 'good girl' anymore, so her wildest dreams of liberty and fun could finally be accomplished. And it would all start that Saturday.

"We miss you, baby." Her mom said, cuddling as close as she could to her father so they would both fit in the camera view. They fit perfectly, but they never were good with technology.

"I miss you guys too." She heard shuffling behind her, and turned around to see Trish in just a tank top, carrying a pizza box and munching away.

"Please don't also get tattoos while you're there." Her father said, earning a surprised "Hey!" from Trish. Thankfully her mom pitched in and after a couple whispers, they agreed to end the call to give their daughter time to rest for the day.

"Sorry about that. They're a little... strict."

"Yeah, no shit." Trish bluntly said. "They'd flip if they found out you're going drinking tonight." Trish wore a very unimpressed gaze along with a half willed smirk covered by her pizza munching. Trish's familiarity has become really heartwarming to her, and so she let out a laugh.

"What they don't know won't hurt them."

The party took place by a campfire in a camping resort. Trish drove over there, but not without her trusty playlist of Scorpions and Five Finger Death Punch. Thankfully, Trish's car was a black, shining beauty of a Ford pickup truck, and with enough luck it wouldn't rain, so they could chill in the back with the blankets and pillows they brought. Noise could be heard from a mile away, and the light of the fire painted a fairytale between the pretty dense forest. The chill that settled in the air also helped to bring a sweet taste of homesickness to her.

Trish introduced her to as many people as she knew, and then they picked up their own booze and they fell into the comfort of the music, making small conversation between themselves and others. A guy named Spencer, a friend of Trish's, came over to talk about some new movie he'd seen. Then, from the distance, a engine roared as a kid was dropped off by an older male.

"I swear if that guy just got dropped off by his dad and he tells on us imma whoop his ass." Spencer said, and suddenly he was yelling: "Ey, mullet guy! Come 'ere!"

Keith looked around and when he realized it might be him, he silently pointed a finger to himself, as if to ask, "me?" Spencer nodded and so Keith made his way over to the truck. He was half expecting to get in a fight in the first 5 minutes of being there.

"Was that your dad driving?" Taken aback, Keith furrowed his brows in an almost comical manner.

"No, that was my brother."

"Ah, phew." Spencer pretended to wipe the sweat off his brow. But considering they were next to a campfire, it was plausible there was actual sweat there. "But how old is he, man? He got white hair and stuff."

"It's a genetic disease. He's only 25." The group synchronized a grimace at Keith's explanation.

"Oh, shucks dude. I think I've heard about it but can't remember the actual name."

For a while now, Trish had been zoning out, staring at something in particular; Keith.

"Uhh, Trish." As if taken out of a trance, Trish blinked slowly and looked around her confused.

"Don't you know it's rude to stare?" Spencer added with a smirk.

"I was,,, not staring." She raised her eyebrow at Trish. "Ok, maybe. But I gotta know something." She turned to Keith and her big, brown eyes stared deeply into his. "Do you listen to Falling in Reverse? Like, unironically?" After a second or two of silence, she noticed the shirt that Keith was wearing had some sort of red face on it, followed by the text "Popular Monster, Falling In Reverse". She figured it must be some kind of band.

"Is that a bad thing?" Keith asked, half lost and half nervous.

"Not at all, lol." Trish answered him half-heartedly.

"Did you just say lol out loud?" Keith asked. She couldn't help the chuckle as a thought crossed her mind.

"Lolol." She said, owning a disappointed look from Keith and a laugh from the other two.

Spencer then got up from his seat on the tree trunk and brought Keith a drink. Keith was surprised at the unasked kindness.

"Well, what's your name, emo stuff?" Spencer then asked Keith.

"Hey!" Trish yelled out, almost spilling her beer on her red laced boots. "I'm the original emo stuff. He can be emo stuff 2.0, but nothing more than that." Keith continued to be confused, and suddenly he remembered why he hated socializing.

"Uh, my name's Keith."

"Okay, got it Chief!" Spencer exclaimed. Keith tried to intervene, but he couldn't stop Spencer when he began talking. "I'm Spencer, emo stuff: the original here is Trish, and she is ...an exchange student."

"I have a name!"

"Yeah, but I forgot it. Sorry! Imma go see if they brought out the marshmallows!" After Spencer abruptly left, she was finally able to communicate her name to Keith; but right after that the dialogue died. From the relaxed look on Keith's face as he was sipping his drink, he wasn't planning to go search for anybody at this party. But at the same time, he wasn't making idle talk either, just stole side glances from time to time as she was talking with Trish.

All the signs lead her to think Keith wanted someone else to initiate the conversation. And so, she did- she asked him what he studies, and found out he's not from here either, but from a far away side of the state. Her eyes lit up when Keith mentioned that it's even hotter in El Paso, to which he had a slightly amused expression in response. Then, she explained that where she is from, it's really cold so she's heavily in love with heat. From there on, hours flew by with joy. Just like her, he was missing home and being able to comfortably talk to someone. Perhaps it was also the thrill of someone new, that yet had to know his bad sides- someone that is yet to be disappointed in him. This new chance made him feel alive, and gave him the courage to ask for her number.

"Someone's cheery." Shiro commented, as Keith was climbing into the car to be driven home.

"Shut up." Keith said, but his tone wasn't angry at all.

Nervous as much as excited, Keith continued to fiddle with his phone, gathering up all his courage to ask this girl out. He's never done such a thing, or at least not the proper way. He's had women in his life, but mostly for emotional therapy through sex or drinking the night away. He wasn't proud of what he has done in the past, so he was focused on wanting to change his old habits. This could be it, he thought. She was smart, beautiful and conceited, nothing like he was used to. And more than anything, her curious nature made him feel like she actually cared about what he was talking about. Even if she didn't always understand what he was saying, she asked further questions to figure it out. That sparkle in her eyes, full of life, when she listened to him, that's what attracted him. He wanted to see that sparkle again; see _her_ again.

Two days after their first meeting Keith grew so impatient and sick of the lack of communication that he called her up. She was happy to hear from him, so it didn't take long before they arranged to go out to eat the next day after classes.

Keith burrowed Shiro's car, not without a lot of nagging and cooing from him, and picked her up from her high school to take her to Whataburger, the only restaurant that he was even remotely acquainted to. She was smiling all throughout the car ride, something that Keith didn't quite understand, but it made him smile as well. He swore she was like the sun in person, so he rolled down the windows to chill down the way she made his body flush.

They entered the restaurant peacefully and made their way to the register. After a bit of chit chat about the menus, they decided on their picks and ordered their respective choices.

"Do you want a beverage with your order?" The lady at the register asked her, and she nodded, biting her lip. Keith watched her from behind, getting lost in the small details of her face.

"Yeah, I'd like a coke."

"What kind?" Without a care, the lady at the register tapped the touch screen to add a drink to her order.

"Normal?" She asked in confusion at the unexpected question. She thought they meant coke zero or with lime.

"What?" The lady at the register looked just as confused as she was.

"What?" After the awkward exchange, Keith finally woke up from his daydreaming and pitched in to save the situation.

"Oh right, you're from Canada. Here we usually call all sodas coke. So you want a Cola?"

"Yeah that's... what I was referring to, yes." She struggled for an answer. The lady at the register laughed in embarrassment as she realized what the problem was.

"Oh, I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. One cola it is. And the gentleman?"

"Pepsi zero."

She was so lost after that conversation that she was stuck twirling in the middle of the establishment. She didn't know if she had to wait on the side, choose a table or anything else. She thanked the heavens when Keith grabbed her hand and pulled her to him.

"Come on, let's take a seat. They'll call us over." After they were safely seated, she let out the longest sigh and began talking a little faster than Keith could comprehend.

"You call all sodas coke? Why?"

"Never knew why." He said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Also never expected this to happen again ever since meeting Shiro."

"Right, because he's not from here either... Man , every time I think I know how to handle this place I just get slapped in the face." Hiding her face in her palms, she squeezed her cheeks in frustration.

"Is it really that different? I mean, I wouldn't know since I've never been outside state, so I'm genuinely curious." Keith brought up the topic of the next conversation without realizing it, as if it was natural to talk to her. He even relaxed his body sitting on that chair.

"It is. And multiple people have commented about my accent too..." Her voice turned more hushed, as if she was afraid of someone hearing her.

"Yeah, weirdly enough people around here don't really have an accent. The western side surely does though." She nodded quietly, biting her lips yet again. It was a sign she was processing the information, Keith reckoned.

"Do you have an accent, Keith?"

"Not really. I never picked it up from my dad."

"It's frustrating, you know. I don't want to be seen as the outsider for the next three months, but at the same time it's not like I can lose my accent. Guess I'm not really used to being someone else's culture shock?"

"Don't then." Keith answered bluntly. He didn't think she should change anything about herself.

"What?"

Their number showed on the small screen and Keith motioned her to come with him to pick up the trays.

"Why would you need to conform to how everyone else is. Your accent is part of who you are and you shouldn't have to give it up for others." He told her as they were walking back to their table. It seemed to hit a soft spot for her, as she became yet again hushed and bashful.

"You really think so?"

"Of course. People will like you as you are- it's something I learned the really hard way in life." The way that he talked, calmly and softly, it gave him such a wise aura. It was almost amusing, because at the same time he wasn't taking himself seriously either.

"Hmm, how?" Concentrated in forcing the straw in the plastic cup containing her soda, she hummed to continue the discussion.

"Well," Keith took a huge bite of his burger and made her wait until he chewed. "it's got to do with family issues. Because of them I never really believed in myself."

"Ah, right. You told me something about Shiro and his fiance?" As they were talking, she got to know the ultimate truth about Shiro not being Keith's actual brother, but his guardian now that he's departed from his foster home. She nodded along for the ride and began piecing things together.

After they were done eating, Keith drove her back to the dorms. Even if he was a dense, oblivious man, Keith could still feel the tension that began growing between them.

"It was really great spending time with you. I'm sorry I have to go so early, because of homework...and stuff."

"It's alright. I'm glad to know at least one of us is responsible."

"Well, I wouldn't really call it that. I'm... mainly responsible. Some rules are meant to be broken."

That sparked something in Keith. His thirst for danger was alerted but dimmed out by his cognitive senses, as he knew she must be bluffing. She seemed like such the smart, perfect good girl after all.

"Yeah, like what? 5 minutes late for curfew?" Without realizing, Keith took a step forward, inching her closer into the door of the car.

"Like an entire hour past curfew." She looked up at his taller figure and wiggled her eyebrows. Keith turned all smiles.

"Just tell me when. I'll be here to help you break all the rules." They gazed into each other's eyes for a few long seconds, in which their auras seemed to mingle and caress each other's beings. The tension snapped when she, like a magnet, was pulled in by his lips and they ended up holding on to each other for dear life. It was a moment of renewal for both of them.

"Wait right here. Don't move!" She told him, and scurried away to the dorms. Fiddling with her keys, she stormed inside the apartment to find her books and threw them inside a backpack.

"Oh, where are you going?" Trish asked, with her usual monotone voice.

"Close by." She lied, throwing the backpack on her right shoulder and rushing off.

"Yeah right. Use protection!" She rolled her eyes as she locked the door and ran down the stairs. Thankfully Keith was still there, and she headed straight for the passenger seat, thumping her backpack on her knees.

"What's all that?" He asked, getting inside the car.

"Homework. On the go."

"Killing two birds with one stone, huh?"

"There's no way I'm leaving after a kiss like that." Keith bit his lip and looked down, fiddling with the car keys dangling in front of him.

"Where would be a good place to chill?" She asked, bringing him out of his trance of reliving the kiss from not too long ago.

"I'm just as clueless as you are." He began tinkering with the GPS, searching for things nearby.

"Let's drive around then. Maybe we can find a park to lay down in."

"Sure do."

They found a fairly large park in which people exercised and played, so they reckoned they were allowed to lay on the grass. Straight up laying herself down, she pulled out the notebooks and urged Keith to keep talking to her as she worked. She tried her best to pay attention to both fronts, but all in all she got most of what he was saying. He talked about his dream of becoming an aircraft pilot, and how the Garrison offered him such a big opportunity to study here. "But aren't you scared?" She asked him, to which he could only smile. He was of course, scared - but he's always been interested in what lies in the greater beyond. If someone could reach space, it needed to be him; that was his motto.

He found it peculiar that in just a few hours they were able to form a "me and you against the world" dynamic . It's been a while since things went this well, and it was frankly making Keith a little scared. As a comfortable silence covered them, away from her concentration in her papers, he was dueling his usual demons inside his heart. What if this relationship developed too fast? Were they even dating? What if they don't actually fit each other? What if she learns about his past and leaves him? What if he fucks this up again? What if he corrupts her, ruins her educational trip? He wouldn't want to be that guy. Not anymore.

"And done!" She beamed, rolling in the grass like a puppy. Keith was surprised to see she didn't care if her clothes got dirty. She propped her head up on her risen elbow, and stared at Keith curiously. Her innocence made Keith's heart melt. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just stuck in thought." He lain down next to her, and before he knew it, his lips were attacked again. It was warm and relaxing enough to make him forget all the worries he was pushing back.

However, as it was getting late, he figured he should drive her home. She seemed to have complaints about it, though.

"What happened to an hour after curfew?"

"I'm not gonna _actually_ get you into trouble. You're too smart and nice to be corrupted by a guy like me." He was surprised he was voicing his concerns so boldly.

"Guy like you?" He chuckled, thinking that it was better she did not know.

"You know. Dark past, the usual. I just don't want to fuck things over again." Maybe he was over exaggerating. He just wanted to warn her thoroughly.

"You're so mysterious." She added with a giggle.

"Up to a point. Reason one why my relationships never worked- I suck at communicating." She seemed to be left speechless for a bit as she blinked at the road before her.

"Yeah well. Things are good as of now. I prefer to worry about problems when they arise." It was a good philosophy, Keith thought.

"Hopefully they won't arise. But then again I won't make promises I can't keep. " She found that noble, but chose to disregard his pessimism.

"Hey, a little positivity never hurt anybody, right?"

He wished he could agree, however it didn't come easy. Everything, starting from the speed with which their relationship began to the differences that seemed to never stop appearing in larger numbers - terrified Keith. He's always considered himself to be a challenger, someone that never gives up on a cause no matter what, and this might be his most difficult challenge yet.

He was troubled mostly because of his fear of corruption. He liked her just the way she was, differences and all. He liked how tame and responsible she was, so whenever her adventurous side kicked in and she wanted to break some rules, get out of town, be somewhere all alone with him, it frightened him. Not only that she might turn out to be just like the other females he's been with, but also because if she really is different and he perceives it wrong, giving in to his darker urges, she could learn bad things from him or even run away. Sometimes, as he was looking at her he got reminded of all the terrible choices he'd done in the past and how he's hurt others to take revenge on something that was in no way their fault, his father's death. No one was at fault for that, but as young as he was he couldn't accept that, so it drove him to actions that resulted in regrets that still haunt him. He's always played it cool, though. Like nothing was wrong, like he could just be happy with her like he promised. However, she was not blind.

"You can't corrupt me, Keith." She told him with a laugh. "Just like you have your darker side, so do I. Mine is significantly more tame, but it does come out sometimes, and I just want to have fun and feel alive. I'm definitely not copying you or anything like that. I've always been like this, except here I don't have to hide it because my parents are not watching over me anymore." She exclaimed. He could feel his brain gears turning and his heartbeat slow back down. "Plus, I'm way too stubborn to be influenced so easily. And I think you know that very well." His hands instantly warmed up as she climbed in his lap on the couch and they found her hips. _An innocent kiss,_ he told himself. As if she read his mind, she said: "And we can take this as slow as you want to. I don't mind. Heck, we could even go back to being friends. I just want to be around you."

"Why me though?" It was a question he kept asking himself ever since day one. Then she began to talk slowly, enunciating every word.

"Because you, Keith, to me, are like passion in person. A burning flame. So beautiful, so dangerous and you only get stronger by the second. You emanate life, Keith."

" Me?" He asked with a scoff. "I think I'm the opposite of all that."

"That's a problem of perspective, you see. Maybe in time you'll see it too. And I mean, just the fact that you are willing to change and realize what bad and wrong are shows so much."

"Someone else wouldn't take so long to though."

"But someone else isn't you, Keith." As stupid as it was, those words meant so much to him. Yes, he couldn't be someone else. He had his past, his present issues, his hazy future, all because he was him. And that made so much sense, to be an individual and grow to accept it. Also, that night something else finally made sense to him; she liked him because he was him, and that's it. It was time Keith finally took someone's love for granted. Indeed, maybe this was his chance to find happiness.

Although it might take time and lots of trials and errors, Keith believed there might come a day when being around her wouldn't bring out his anxiety issues or the pack of wolves that his bad thoughts are.

Slowly but surely, they created their own symphony, separated from the noise of the world. She was the low tunes, calm and held together, pulling his strings back to reality whenever needed; and he was the high notes, the piercing intensity of wanting a life of self fulfillment. 

Their love was young, and just as pure. Keith did not let his head swim in sin, and neither did she. The world was not meant to be lived in alone, and that's exactly what they did. Shared their time, their hearts, their minds.

His Pops would always tell Keith, that one day he'll find the one, and his whole life would change. That he'd give up everything for that one special person; that he'll feel like he was suffocating without them. However, the day when he had to do exactly that was nearing fast. The first semester was just a week away from ending, and her parents made it clear that she can't spend the holiday in Texas. She had to come home, return to the life she was used to. It broke her heart to leave now, before Christmas and New Years. It would have been a dream to be able to spend them together.

Keith told her, it wasn't like he's never spent the holidays alone before. Plus, he wasn't completely solitary, Shiro was there. He also had nowhere else to go. He couldn't even remember how many excuses he came up with, so she wouldn't feel just as horrible for this separation. Just the thought itself shattered him, but he refused to let it go. He wanted her to be happy and successful, no matter where she was. Even if it wasn't next to him.

It was different from what his Pops told him. Mainly because Keith was too afraid to ask so much of her, to bind her to him. He turned into a complete coward; letting his doubts tell himself that she would be better off without him. He was unable to hold on to the things he treasured, because he always felt unwanted.

His hope faded away by the passing hour. Seeing her packed suitcase felt like the end of the world, and it reminded him of Shiro and Adam's situation. Was Adam also feeling the same as him when Shiro up and left? Or was his mind more peaceful because they actually broke up? Was that the smarter thing to do in this situation, to avoid future pain?

Only two days before her flight, she had something planned for the both of them. Keith, already having given up hope, saw it as just a ritualistic farewell. He knew he was making up a lot of his ache and blowing everything out of proportion. But losing someone he cared deeply for was a triggering experience to him. She, on the other hand, was very bright and energetic like usual. She was basically dragging Keith to her dorm room, jumping in excitement. What was in the room caught him by surprise, bringing him to confusion.

An artificial Christmas tree was blank in the middle of the room, and various boxes of decorations were spread around it. His risen brow was enough to get her to explain the situation. "I found a way to celebrate the holidays together!" She exclaimed, and they both got to decorating. For a few hours even, Keith was able to forget about the impending separation.

Decorating was not the only thing she had in mind. After the tree was done, she dragged Keith out the door again to go "present shopping".

"We buy each other a little something to hold close while we're apart." It was a gentle reminder, yet this time it didn't sadden Keith. He was too caught up in the joy of having something to remember her by. It wasn't much, and it didn't have to be. They got matching keychains portraying the heads of different colored lions, and a shirt each. They let each other choose, even if the specific clothing wasn't something to their taste. But hopefully, the shirt Keith bought her really made her happy. Ever since she's been dating him, she had opened up to more risqué, honest music that she wasn't used to. Sure, it wasn't the kind of rock Keith loved, but it was something that always reminded her of him. So she clutched her new 21 Pilots shirt to her chest dearly. Keith on the other hand, got something more simplistic, more positive than the things he usually searched for. She instantly loved the shirt and there was no way for him to refuse it. It was a red shirt with the text "I smile :)" on it.

After their shopping spree, they went back to her apartment and settled on the sofa, where she pulled out a rented DVD of Nightmare before Christmas, something she knew Keith liked. They sang their hearts out, and before they knew it midnight came. Keith was once again confused when she brought a champagne bottle into the room, to be opened at midnight. "Happy early New Years too, babe." She told him, with a clink of the glasses. She didn't even let him breathe before she dragged him out on the balcony and handed him a sparkler.

"Make a wish before you light it." She told him, and Keith rolled his eyes. He knew the only wish he had at the moment was for that feeling to never end. For this connection to never fade.

His face all solemn, he nodded to her to light the sparkler. She gave him a gentle smile and the sparkles lit up the dark sky of the night. They went silent for a few minutes and let the natural noise do the talking. And in that silence, Keith's feelings bubbled up to the surface. He clang to her back in a hug he was afraid was too tight.

"It's not gonna be that bad. The months are gonna pass." She mumbled, but more so in a way that felt more like she was convincing herself.

"But what if it's not worth it? The pain, the restriction, missing someone... Wouldn't it be better without?"

"Of course it wouldn't be better without. Of course it's worth it. You can't give up once you're in love, right?" She replied, and Keith went dead silent. "Right?" She asked him again, anxious, having turned around to face him. The look in Keith's eyes looked extremely vulnerable.

"I love you, Keith." No matter how much he built himself up into the man he aspired to be, Keith broke down in tears at those words. Perhaps having your life changed around was not such a bad thing.

Keith began living for the sound of his ringtone, for the buzz of his notifications. He knew her schedule inside and out, which days of the week to call in, and even every corner of her bedroom. For example, on Tuesdays and Thursdays she had club activities after school, so he knew to wait a couple more hours before asking her how her day went so far. He tried to not be overly-clingy, or demanding for that matter; so whenever she let him know she was busy, he didn't inquire further. He just wanted to know she was well, and wasn't eaten alive by not being next to each other. Because Keith was surely still affected, in the dead of night, when he couldn't sleep.

Although not very often, sometimes they would spend the night together. It could only happen Saturday night due to the curfew, but it was enough to satisfy them. During those nights, they'd hold each other close and talk all throughout it, their voices hushed and hidden by blankets. And whenever she'd get too tired to answer him, she'd find his hand and hold it, squeezing it ever so often when Keith asked a rhetorical question, to let him know she was still listening. So when her grip on his hand loosened, he knew she was asleep and he'd also be able to fall into a peaceful slumber, having voiced out all his worries.

And in the dead of the night, alone in a city he couldn't call his own, Keith was thinking about how much he missed being surrounded by her warmth.

He often wondered, how would her school look like? Are her friends making her laugh and keeping her happy in his stead? He hoped they were. It was often tempting, to climb in one of the ships from the piloting program and take a quick trip out of state. But he knew that would get him kicked out. He was so close to graduation, and he did promise himself to properly study and get his license. He was working on everything; his dream, his relationship, himself. If only he put in enough effort, he would be able to do it. A motivation like never before had filled his soul.

At least this time he knew a light was waiting for him at the end of the tunnel; he _would_ be able to see her again. She was still there, even if just calls and texts. Still, he had his doubts, knowing long distance relationships don't always work out, and he's been hurt so many times in his life that trusting others came with difficulties. "A little positivity never hurt anyone" she said. Keith's always been the type to take everything with a grain of salt, but at least this time he was taking it.

The day of their graduation inched nearer and way faster than before. Keith was a lot more occupied with piloting; actual physical practice that would take almost the entire day. But, to his surprise, being away from his phone for even days on end would not bring any difference. She was still there to support him and cheer him on, admire the pictures he would send of the clear high skies, and listen to him talk passionately about every single break in science Keith found out about from his classmates.

Things again went terrifyingly well.

Their graduation ceremonies weren't on the same day and neither were their proms. She swore she'd frame the picture of Keith in a graduation cloak and cap, but was very disappointed when Keith didn't want to show her pictures of him in a suit. "You'll see the photo album when you get here." He teased. She on the other hand, was overly excited to show Keith her dress and 'take him to prom' with her. She was beautiful, but it wasn't anything new. She didn't need special events to be breathtaking on every day of the week. He was such a fool in love, he thought with a chuckle.

At around 10 pm that day, he received a video call from her. He was lounging at home, in his almost empty bedroom, having packed everything already. Shiro was driving him back, staying with him for a couple days and then going back to Houston. He apparently did not solve his work issues yet so he couldn't get a transfer back to El Paso. But Keith was eager to get home, even if on his own.

She went outside of the restaurant where the prom was being held. They were near the seaside, he could hear the clack of her heels on the wooden deck. She flipped the camera around to show him the vastness of the sea underneath the night sky. It made him all the more envious that he wasn't there.

"Remember when we camped near the lake and you got eaten alive by mosquitoes?" She asked him, referencing the body of water.

"Of course I do! You were like, completely fine. I looked like Swiss cheese." Keith's whiny response elected a healthy laugh from her.

"Well, it looks like you're going to get your revenge. I'm being hunted on this deck."

"You should get back inside then. Pretty sure mailing you some bug spray would take like a week." Keith joked and she chuckled.

"I don't want to just yet. It's much more peaceful here. And you're here." Keith wanted to joke further, saying that he could also be inside the restaurant if she moved the phone there, but decided to accept her cheesiness.

Speaking of cheesy, so was the burger that she ordered to eat on the flight to El Paso. She could finally relax, now that the storm had passed. Only great things awaited them.

The storm, by definition, was a natural phenomenon, sometimes resulting in casualties. In her case, the storm were her parents.

"Definitely not! We've never even met him. We're not letting you go to _some boy_ you met in a different country." She tried to keep her calm in the cacophony of screams.

"Um, mom. You know we've been dating for like, 8 months, right?"

"I don't care! You've only been next to him for so long, you can't know if you can trust him."

"Seriously?" She more stated than asked, with a long sigh. "You guys always used to travel before you had me. I'm your daughter, aren't I? You should have expected I'd want to be free when I grow up."

"Baby..." Her mom voiced out softly.

"I'm not done yet." She said, sitting down next to her mom to hold her hand. "I have no hidden intentions. My trip was a chance for opportunities, to find something new that could make my life better. And I have found it and I want to pursue it. I won't stop studying and working towards my future, because that also is something that'll make me happy. That's it. I just want to be happy." Her mom's eyes were wet and glossy, she looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"We just don't want you to make a big mistake. We love you so much, sweetie." Her mom leaned in for a hug, and she easily accepted.

"I know, I know. I will be fine though."

With a smile glued to her lips, she closed her eyes, anticipating meeting Keith again and getting lost in the smell of his perfume.

Meanwhile, Keith, focused yet exhausted, was making his way over to his old foster home. Since Shiro wasn't in town anymore, he had no car to pick her up from the airport with. He cursed his tight budget as he was trudging himself down the heated paths of the city. His foster parents, John and Natalie, owned two cars and they didn't blink an eye when Keith asked to burrow one of them. They were incredible people, and Keith was disappointed in himself that it took so much to realize that. Well, it wasn't like they didn't want something in return of lending the car - but it was something they kept asking of Keith for over a month, and when they did him the favor they made it clear he _had to_ go through with it.

For some time now, John and Natalie have been meaning to throw Keith a graduation party (or more like a family meal to celebrate it), and when they heard he got a girlfriend it was inevitable that she had to be there too. She didn't have a problem with the idea, more so she was excited to meet his foster family since Keith talked so much about them. But Keith on the other hand, was mortified of the yet to come embarrassment.

With that clearly set in mind when he exited their garage, having heard that they need to be back there tomorrow at noon at least five times in the last 20 minutes, he drove off towards the airport. He was tired, not only from the fact that he spent all night cleaning the same rooms over and over again in fear of wanting everything to be perfect, but also because of the mental pressure. He thought having her back would be the end of all anxiety, but instead it doubled, if not even tripled. His whole body was trembling, his fingers on the steering wheel electrified with a buzz of both excitement and dread. The time has come, for him to finally smile outside the confinement of his phone camera.

He parked the car securely and walked over to the waiting room of the airport. There, he found a couple of empty seats where he could sit down for a bit. His body was at its limit, trying to scream the tiredness out of its system. He focused on the high screen holding the information of the flights - he arrived early. There was no sign of the flight being delayed, so there was at least another half an hour before she'd arrive. Keith thought it was as good a time as ever to collect himself.

He got woken up by a gentle shake on his shoulder. He opened his eyes wearily and spotted his girlfriend standing before him, suitcase behind her and backpack on her shoulders. He took a second to glance around and try to realize what happened. When he did, he covered his eyes with his palms and lowered his head. He heard her sit down on the seat next to him.

"Did I really fall asleep in the waiting room?" He mumbled, his voice hoarse with sleep.

"You surely did." She answered him, amused and rubbing his shoulder.

"I'm so embarrassed. God, what an idiot." He continued to grumble to himself in distress, while she was trying her best not to laugh.

"It's alright babe. You must've been tired."

"What about you? The flight surely tired you out too."

"I could use a coffee." She shrugged her shoulders and then motioned to the cute cafe located at the end of the waiting room of the airport. Keith got up from his seat, took her luggage and carried it there without saying a word.

As they sat down to drink their coffee, they talked about her flight and the reason why Keith fell asleep so suddenly. He made sure to remind her that they had to visit his foster family the next day. If he didn't, he was sure Natalie would have messaged him a thousand times so they wouldn't forget. However, for the first time, an awkward fog seemed to surround them. Now that they were together, they shouldn't feel pressured or held down anymore, but the expectations of the trip was surely what was driving them to act unnatural.

That unwanted feeling seemed to chase them even when loading the luggage into the car and driving to Keith's house in the desert. While waiting at a red light, Keith tried to reassuringly put his hand on her thigh. She smiled, but as she stared in his eyes with a look of anticipation, the tension got even thicker.

Having arrived home, Keith unlocked the door and glanced back at her to see the look of a curious kitten. As if she was poking to check everything was real, she couldn't help picking up every single photo frame and inspecting all the small objects in his house. Keith left her to it, while he struggled to bring her luggage upstairs to his bedroom. They continued to be silent, even when she opened her suitcase to bring out the necessities. Keith tried to mutter a "Yeah, you can put your toothbrush in the ba-" but she was already heading down the stairs like she had been living there for years.

Keith waited for her to change patiently as he fiddled with his phone, laying in bed. When she was done, she came over and flopped next to him, finding his chest to use as a pillow. He was certain she could hear the accelerated beat of his heart. In truth, they were both nervous to be around each other again, for they knew, their bond had only gotten stronger the last 5 months, but only in emotional ways. There was something that they were missing, something both of them have thought of countless of times, anticipating the moment it would happen; but they wouldn't admit to it. Although it wasn't something to be ashamed of, the act of carnal desire for the person you love most - it still required courage. Courage that Keith didn't seem to have, in such a time of need. Thankfully, she did.

"Do you think we remember how to kiss?" She asked him, with a tone half clumsy, half playful. She got up from her last position to look at Keith, who displayed a smirk of both relief and excitement.

"Let's find out." Keith responded, leaning into her lips for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. A kiss, she said; a kiss, he gave. But their bodies craved more, desired the dark of the night and the sparkle of the stars. Together, they have intertwined their destiny and molded their fates in their first ever private dance of physical emotions.

Keith woke up to aches all over his body. He almost missed the way the sun shone right in his face when laying in his bed in the morning, and how he always needed to turn away from it. However, as sleep began leaving his system and he was more aware of his surroundings, he realized turning around was easier said than done. She was nestled against his bare back, her forehead pressing to his shoulder blades. A lazy arm was draped around his waist. He had to softly pick up her arm to turn underneath it, and let it fall over his back. Once facing her, he pulled her closer to his chest and laid kisses on the top of her head.

He had become a man, he thought - not socially, but morally. He was now a man with something to protect, something to lose. Although he always told himself the fight would be over when reaching the next goal in the relationship, he knew it was all lies. The fight would begin again, every morning, every single day that he had her by his side. And that's how things should be. Keith wanted to fight for this new found ability to love and be loved.

He felt her shuffle and he softly caressed the hair away from her eyes, being met with the flutter of her eyelids as her irises focused on him. He couldn't help the smile on his lips as she made a soft noise and nestled closer into his neck.

"Slept well?" He whispered to her, but he only got an array of weird noises in response. He chuckled and let her try and stretch until comfortable. When she finally was, she looked up at him, who was resting on his elbows.

"Are you in as much pain as I am?" She asked him, as non-ironic as she could.

"Most likely." He answered, raising an arm to stretch it out only to hear it pop. They both grimaced and had a hearty laugh. With half lidded eyes, she glanced over to the bright window and asked Keith a question.

"What's the time?" He swiftly rolled over to feel for his phone on the nightstand. The digital clock signaled it was late in the morning.

"It's 10 am." He answered, and she scrunched up her nose in disgust. She made her way back to his chest and clung to him tightly.

"But I don't wanna."

"Well, if we don't show up Natalie's gonna feed me to the dog." There were only 2 hours left before they had to be at his foster family's house. To make it in time, they would need to get a move on shortly.

"She'd have to catch you first."

"Would a coffee help?" He questioned, whispering close to her ear where he was leaving small kisses. He felt her shudder at the action.

"Maybe... but that would mean getting up."

"Give me 10 minutes tops. I'll bring it up here to you." She didn't answer, and when Keith looked over at her face, he saw she had her eyes closed. To make sure she didn't fall back asleep, he asked: "Deal?" After a few seconds of silence, she let out a loud sigh and agreed.

Keith hazily made his way downstairs to the kitchen. He filled the coffee maker with water and turned it on, going to brush his teeth in the meantime. When he heard the machine beep he hurried up the stairs with two steaming cups of fresh coffee. To his surprise, she was sitting up, resting on the headboard, ready to take one of the cups from his hands. With her hair in every which way, she gave him a soft smile and sipped her drink. Keith then brought out his laptop so they could listen to some music or watch something while they tried to chase the sleep away from their bodies. Time flew by and suddenly it was time for them to get dressed and ready to leave.

She couldn't unglue her eyes from the landscapes as Keith was driving through the arid grounds. When she did though, it was to admire Keith's driving form. He was a very careful driver, focused and attentive. She knew better than to distract him, so she chose to get lost in the music playing on the radio and find her peace of mind.

There were already people in the yard when Keith pulled into the driveway to the garage. She noticed two boys and a girl, and an adult woman seemingly setting the table in the back of the yard. Surprised, the woman hurried to set the plates on the table and call for her husband. They both came to greet them when they exited the car.

The female, Natalie, was slightly taller than her and pretty well built. She had long blonde hair in a ponytail, soft eyes and a strong sense of femininity. The man, John, was even taller, probably ranging at about 6'2. He had short brown hair and what seemed like lots of unslept nights under his eyes. However, his smile was still as radiant as his wife's. They both shook hands with her and introduced themselves, even if she already knew their names.

One other thing that was very prominent about them was their accents. Keith was not kidding when saying the western side had very obvious dialects. It didn't bother her, in fact - it gave her a fuzzy feeling of being properly introduced to Keith's home culture.

Natalie called the kids over to introduce them to her and come talk to Keith. The boys looked very similar to each other, if it wasn't for their different style of clothing. They were both blonde, skinny and tall for their age. She learnt the one dressed in a simple striped white and blue shirt was Jeremy, and the one dressed in overalls was Thomas. They were 12 years old and as impatient as they could get, full of energy. As soon as the introductions were over, Thomas asked if they could go back to playing ball. Natalie forbid them, in fear they'd hit the table if not careful, so they both went inside.

"Excuse these young men." John asked of her. " They're at a sensitive age." She showed a smile in return and told him she's not bothered by it.

The last family member was an even younger girl, also blonde, dressed in a fancy pink dress and white stockings. As soon as she saw Keith, she ran towards him to be picked up. She clung to Keith's chest like a tiny koala, making his girlfriend's heart melt.

"Angela, say hello to her." Natalie urged her, and Angela showed her a huge smile with a few tooth gaps.

"Hello!" She said excitedly. " I am Angela! I am four years old!" She continued to exclaim. She was very talkative for her age.

"The food is almost ready. Why don'chu show your lady around?" Natalie suggested to Keith, who nodded, quietly. Angela was still keeping him busy, playing with his hair and so forth.

"Let's go inside." He said softly, bouncing Angela in his arms for a better grip.

The house uncovered its secrets from the moment the front door opened. A large living room was proud in front of the door, long until the left most side of the house, adorned with a rusty brown colored carpet filled with toys of all kinds. Angela immediately began shifting in Keith's arms, asking to be put down so she could go play with her small, inflatable castle. She asked Keith to join, but he had to tell her they'll play later. Off to the right was the kitchen, small and cozy with a larger sized table than usual, probably due to the numerous family. Facing the kitchen was a door, and Keith explained it was the laundry room. On the right however, was the twins' bedroom accompanied with a bath room. Keith took her to said bedroom, and a sense of nostalgia overwhelmed her when seeing the large amounts of boxes filled with puzzles and table games. The twins' room's beds were of different colors and patterns, almost like a way to distinct the personalities of the two young men. Keith explained Thomas is usually the trouble maker, while Jeremy seems to be more composed and skilled in getting his brother out of trouble. "They're a force to be reckoned with" he added, with a coy smile.

The stairs were also on the left side, spinning into a little spiral. The second floor was filled with fresh air, due to the balcony door that was left open.

"I spent so many sleepless nights on this balcony." Keith said, melancholically. There was a sad glister in his eyes, even if he was smiling. "To many, this view would look plain and boring... but I've never felt closer to the sky than here." Indeed, the landscape bore nothing but a few neighboring houses, protected by fence of a dimmed white in contrast to the orange soils. The heat made the horizon wobble, and the sun painted everything in an ochre yellow. But when she looked up however, she realized what Keith meant. The sky, a gigantic blue, was clean and clear; she felt as if she reached her hand out, she could touch it.

"C'mon." Keith urged her, guiding her to the back of the hall. "This is the master bedroom."

"Should we really intrude?" Keith chuckled, turning the knob with steady hands.

"Relax. They've got nothing to hide anyway."

The room at first glimpse, would strike anyone as peculiar. The bed had flowery sheets, the walls were filled with all kinds of photos and paintings of different flower types and all sorts of flower themed trinkets were aligned on the shelves.

"It's... flowery." She commented.

"Yeah well, Natalie loves flowers. But most of them can't be planted here. It's too arid." She hummed in acknowledgement, circling the shelves with interest of observing the different statuettes, medallions and pressed flowers.

"Had your fill?" Keith asked her, to bring her out of her botanic trance. She turned to him and nodded.

Instead of going out of the door they came from, she realized there was another door in the room. Curious, she clung behind him and voiced out her deduction.

"Office?"

"Nope." He smirked, taking in her reaction when he opened the door and they were met with an abundance of pink. The bed was like one of a princess, pretty dolls slept on the shelves, and fluffy teddy bears were sitting on small plastic chairs, having a silent conversation over a cup of invisible tea.

"Angela's room?"

"Yeah, there's no office in this house." Keith took a pause before adding " Or at least, not anymore."

"Not anymore?"

"I mean- It wasn't really an office. Although they used to store all important paperwork and such there. There was a library in the attic- more like a recreational area where Natalie and John could have some peace and quiet from time to time with a good book or so."

"What's there now?"

"My room. Or what's left of it, I guess. I heard the twins have recently started using it as a man cave."

"You lived in the attic?" She asked in disbelief.

"Not from the beginning. At first, this was my room."

"This?" She asked, amused, motioning at all the pink in the room.

"Ha ha, funny. It wasn't like this before." He sat down on the carpet and continued talking, staring at nowhere in particular. "When they began fostering me, I had a severe case of nightmares. Every night I'd wake up crying, screaming, and they'd rush over to me through that door behind me." Keith tilted his head towards the door connecting Angela's room and the master bedroom. "But when Angela came, they had to move me so they could get to her easier, since she was basically a baby."

"Oh.."

"I felt abandoned back then. Even if John had back pains for months moving stuff out of the attic to get me a comfortable place to sleep there. I felt vulnerable, and for a long time I actually locked myself up there. Who knew growing would hurt, right?" She answered him with an awkward, boxy smile. "I realize it was stupid now. But I got used to feeling protected so I got greedy when I shouldn't have."

"You were young. I feel like we all have a story like that in our life."

"True. And I mean, I fell in love super hard with that place. The lone wolf found its den." Keith joked, and then they went quiet after hearing footsteps down the hall. The door creaked open and Angela came in the room, dragging a white stallion toy by the lead on the floor.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, her words coming out a bit funny due to her missing teeth. She was adorable.

"About how I had to move to the attic when you were a baby." Keith booped Angela's nose with his finger, earning a hearty giggle. She flopped down in his lap instantly. Keith tried to mask the grimace of his pain.

"But Keef love the big up!" She rose an eyebrow at the mention of "The big up".

"I do." Keith answered her, brushing her messy blonde locks from her face. "That's how she nicknamed the attic when she was younger. She can't quite pronounce the word yet."

"Yes, I can!" Angela rebutted. "Achick!" Keith chuckled dearly, and she couldn't help the smile creeping on her face.

"Close enough, princess." Angela showed Keith a big grin, filled with the innocence of childish joy.

Right after they were done talking, Angela got up from Keith's lap in hopes of showing him some of her new toys. She couldn't however, because Natalie called everyone over to the table in the yard. The food was ready.

"Guess we'll save the best for later." Keith said.

"The Big Up?"

"The one and only." Keith replied with a wink, grabbing her hand to guide her outside into the yard.

The table was beautifully arranged, with a tidy assortment of plates and silverware. The smell of smoke emanating from the grill was prominent in the air, along with that of the cooked meat. John was facing said grill, picking up pieces of freshly barbecued ribs and chicken wings and putting them on the plate Natalie was holding. Keith guided his girlfriend to sit down on the side of the table that had only two chairs. The twins and Angela had three chairs on the opposite side, while the parents were at either ends of the table.

Instead of sitting down, Keith approached the grill to carry Natalie's already filled plate and grab the empty one from the table. John noticed him and showed a fatherly smile.

"There you were, son! I could've used another man around here sooner." Natalie playfully smacked John's arm, pitching in for Keith.

"He was with his lady! Showed her the home." John chuckled deeply.

"Well, what are you waiting for, son? Go bring the rest of the food from the kitchen. And gather the kids while you're at it." She didn't mean to eavesdrop, but she did hear the conversation. She got up and went to help Keith in his tasks, even when he refused. They carried the mashed potatoes and gravy to the table, then Keith said he'll grab the twins and force them to wash their hands while she began her expedition to figure out where Angela had run off to. She wasn't in her room, nor in the living room. She knocked on the upstairs bedroom, but there was no answer. Confused, she walked back downstairs to find Angela coming out of the laundry room. She didn't stop to question what she was doing in there.

"There you are!" She said softly, approaching Angela. "It's time to eat now."

"Not hungry." Baffled, she tried to come up with a counterargument, but was saved by Keith appearing in the living room.

"What do you mean _not hungry_? Huh?" Keith asked Angela, tackling her down to tickle her. She let out joyous screams. "There's no such thing. We're all eating now. The meal can't start without our princess!" That seemed to sparkle something in Angela's eyes.

"It can't?"

"Of course not! Time to wash your hands, your highness!" And with that, after Angela had washed her hands with Keith's help, all three of them returned to the table in the yard. Everyone else was already seated and waiting for them.

"About time!" Thomas exclaimed with edge. Jeremy gave him an ugly glare to silence him.

They said a prayer before digging into the food, and for a few minutes, while everyone was taking their pick from the plates arranged on the table, it was quite silent. Until John, the most talkative out of the parents, stroke up a conversation.

"So, you're from Canada? Heard the tarts are quite good over there."

"They are!" She answered excitedly. "The ones momma makes are very delicious. Maybe she'll let me share the recipe if I ask nicely." John smiled, throwing Natalie a side glance.

"You heard the lady! Get a pen and paper!"

"Maybe afterwards." Natalie answered softly. "I hope you are comfortable with what we have prepared."

"I am, don't worry!" She gave Natalie a reassuring smile, then returned to eating. John however, was not yet done talking.

"So, what do you have in plan for the future?" He asked, directing his gaze on her. She felt somewhat pressured, so she tried her best to be confident in her answer.

"I'm going to pursue social studies like I had so far. Journalism, to be precise." John raised a curious brow at the mention of such a peculiar job.

"Journalism? How come?"

"My parents used to travel a lot before they had me. They have all sort of trinkets laying around in the house from all over the world, so it's something that's caught my attention ever since I was young. I like talking to people and learning about their jobs, culture and traditions, getting to know what the world has to offer as a whole. That's why I picked journalism, to share stories of people to people." After she was done talking, John began laughing. Natalie, once again, smacked him.

"Excuse me," he began with an apology "it's just it sounded so... academic. Like you were answering an interview!" He chuckled to himself yet again. "Relax, kiddo. I ain't about to question you. But with such speech and determination, I have no doubt you'll put forward some darn amazing stories." She thanked him silently, and then John soon moved over to grill someone else.

"What about'cha, son? Remind me what that Garrison program has in store again."

"Well," Keith trailed off "As a undergraduate I am now allowed to fly ships around the planet surface. I will continue my training and in my second year or so I'll be able to assist in space expeditions. Later on they'll assign me an official ranking. But for now, since there aren't hostile forces around, I'll mostly assist with cargo ships and such even tho I'm a fight pilot."

John hummed in response, silently getting back to his ribs. It seemed like he wasn't satisfied with Keith's answer.

"So you'll go to space?" Jeremy asked out of the blue. He was wearing his glasses now that they were outside in the sunlight, so it was easier to tell him apart from his brother.

"Like I said, in a year or so. The Space Exploration Program is open only to more experienced pilots and staff." Next, it was Thomas that had something to say.

"Dude you're gonna be like in those movies. Gonna go to space and come back to us being old and stuff."

"That's not really how it works. The Garrison advanced their ships-" Jeremy was trying to correct his brother's judgment, but he was interrupted by John who spoke over him.

"He does have a point. Have you ever thought about that? You won't just be going to a different country, you'll be breaking atmosphere. Lord knows what dangers you'll encounter there. You'll leave us, your family, Shiro - who, let me add, broke up with his fiancé exactly because of his job, and your lady here on Earth. I don't really want to say it, but someone has to; you know what it feels to be left behind so think about how it'd be doing it to us."

Keith went eerily silent. He closed his eyes, but a clear vein on the side of his neck showed that he was trying to contain his anger. John's words cut deep like a knife, reminding him not only of his father that died of a noble cause just like he's trying to pursue, but also of his brother's misery that John could never understand. To bring up such old wounds and badmouth his dream, it made Keith bubble on the inside with a feverish rage. He pushed them back, told himself he's worked so hard to get rid of his anger related issues. But eventually, Keith's thoughts came out when John made another comment.

"Cat got your tongue, son?" And suddenly, Keith was yelling.

" What'd'chu reckon you'd get outta sayin' this to me? Make me give up on my dream after so much work? Let me know when you get back on your rocker." His words, thick with a southern accent she would have never expected out of him, were heavy with emotions. She was rendered silent at this new side of him, along with everyone else at the table, except Jeremy who was holding back a snicker. Keith had somehow ended up on his feet, hands pressed onto the table, chest puffed out to the front. He was out of breath from his outing of words, and the fury was visible in his brow. "I'm not hungry anymore." Keith added, and stormed off from the table on his own, stepping rapidly to the front of the yard. She looked around the table, as if asking for a silent permission to go after him. Her eyes were wide open and she was biting hard on her lip. After getting a nod from Natalie, she left the table as well in an attempt to find him.

Keith was seated on the stairs of the porch, staring into the ground. Not too far away from him was the family's dog, a golden retriever, sleeping away in a dog house beautifully ornamented with the word _Lindsey._ She figured that was the dog's name, but quickly dismissed the thought to approach Keith carefully. He looked up from the ground at the sound of her footsteps, and mutter something to her under his breath.

"Sorry about that. I tried not to get angry." He was clearly still distraught, from the strained tone of his voice.

"Yeah, I noticed." She replied, taking a seat next to him on the dusty steps. "It'll be okay, don't worry. Just need to take a deep breath." She tried to reassure him, and to her surprise, it worked. Keith followed her advice and breathed in deeply. "Do you want a hug?" She tried the waters, to which he only smiled slightly. He guided her hips on top of his and wrapped his arms around her body, letting himself drown in the protective warmth of his lover. They stayed like that, for long, dragged on minutes until Keith's mood picked back up and he was playfully nuzzling her neck.

"Thank you, baby." He told her. "And sorry for being such a troublemaker." His voice has gotten back to normal, no trace of the previous accent whatsoever. That struck a burning curiosity in her.

"That's okay but... what happened to _I never picked it up from my dad_?"

"What?" Keith, seemingly confused, could only stare back at her.

"Your accent."

"Ah..." Keith glanced to the side awkwardly, showing the face of a child being caught doing something bad. "Well, I never said anything about my foster family. They get to me sometimes, I don't even realize it." She smiled dearly at him, appreciating his honesty. The fact that he didn't realize he was speaking in an accent was hilarious to her.

"It's cute though." She confessed, but he once again furrowed his brows.

"Cute?"

"Yes." With that, she offered him a nose boop. Keith blinked at her blankly. "I wouldn't mind hearing more of it. I mean, you did say not to change _my_ accent, so why hide _yours_?"

"Fair is fair." He replied with a chuckle. He seemed to suddenly be in good spirits again.

From the distance of the back yard, they could hear the fakest enthusiasm of one of the twins screaming the word 'cake'. Keith had a hunch it was Thomas, trying to lure them back to the table.

"There's cake?!" She gasped, but unalike the young troublemaker, her enthusiasm was real.

"I don't know, is there? I didn't hear anythin' 'bout no cake." This time around, Keith whipped out the accent again, slurring his words like it was second nature. She was smiling from ear to ear.

"Let's find out." She said with a wink, getting up from his lap. Keith felt the tips of his ears heat up, remembering the words he told her last night.

True to the very fake exclamation of the twin, there was now a cake on the table; it was white, heavy in whipped cream and had a simple 'Congratulations' written in cursive, decorated with strawberry slices. Everyone at the table seemed oblivious to what previously transpired, or at least they were pretending to have forgotten. That until Keith sat down and apologized directly to John.

"I'm sorry for lashing out at you. You did bring forth some important arguments. I will take your words into consideration." With an adult aura surrounding him, Keith shook hands with John across the table. After the deed, he grabbed his girlfriend's hand and they both held onto the knife, cutting the first slice of the cake. From there on Natalie took charge, distributing a slice to everyone at the table. The rest of their time together was much more enjoyable, since the adults learned to be silent and let the youngsters talk between themselves. Thomas was excited about a new gory shooter announced to come out on the PS4, and Jeremy was eager to discuss with Keith about a space simulator he was toying around with on the computer.

"So son, have you seen the new dog house I crafted for Lindsey?" John asked Keith, who was slightly disoriented by the question.

"Yeah I did. In passing."

"You should come see what else I've been working on." Keith wouldn't have wanted to say no, but he glanced back at his girlfriend in confusion. He couldn't leave her alone.

"Then me and your lady over here can indulge in some... lady gossip." Natalie offered, but Keith still wasn't convinced he could leave her like that.

"Are you fine with that, baby?" He made sure to get consent, so she wouldn't feel uncomfortable. She glanced back at Natalie, who was showing a gentle smirk.

"Sure!"

Together, she emptied the plates with Natalie, carried them to the sink and the leftover to the fridge. When the hard work was done, Natalie settled in front of the sink to wash the dishes, and handed her a cloth.

"I wash them, you wipe them! Just like old times." That made her show a very nostalgic smile. In a sense, Natalie reminded her of her mother, if only she was a little more open minded. "And now, the gossip. Tell me how you two began dating. And don't shy away from getting into the _juicy_ detail."

She was quite taken aback from hearing a parent use the word juicy, but she went on nonetheless. It almost brought her to tears, remembering the times of their unstable beginning and tracing the path they took all the way to the present moment. If she had to describe their journey, she'd call it a journey of courage. An opportunity rightfully taken that lead to greater things than she could have ever imagined. Natalie was joyous throughout her entire tale, eating up every single word she offered. The happiness she felt for her and Keith was extremely obvious.

"He's changed a lot, hasn't he?" Natalie commented, to which she could only nod vigorously.

"On that matter, the accent just now, has he always had it?" She couldn't yet get over it, the scene and sound of his voice deeply ingrained into her mind.

"His accent turns on and off by itself more than our broken air conditioning."

"Oh my God." She broke out into a laugh at the new information. She couldn't help but imagine what she had been missing out so far.

"When he was young he purposefully rejected it. He grew more flexible later on, yet he still fought John over pronunciations. He did pick up on our expressions though." Natalie added, then continued to speak with a loud snicker. "I cannot believe he told John to get on his rocker!"

"That was... courageous." Was all she could reply with.

"Courage is one of the traits I've always loved about him. He never called us mom and dad, y'know? Ever since he was little he came to us and said, _Natalie, John, I don't want to be adopted._ That's why we never did. He wanted to continue being his father's son, follow in Shiro's footsteps... " Natalie rambled on, and she decided to not interrupt her. "...he's always had such greatness hidden inside him. Although I have to admit going to space is a scary thought, I don't want him to ever give up on that passion of his. I couldn't be prouder of him." The thought was scary to her as well, but it was a worry she chose to hide away in a hidden part of her brain; so she smiled at Natalie and they both went back to silently washing and wiping the dishes. However she kept looking over at Natalie, glancing and buffering if she should ask the question or not.

"Is something else bothering you?" It seemed Natalie noticed she was in some sort of distress, and confronted her in a gentle manner.

"If you don't mind me asking, how come you have adopted children? Keith told me none of them are actually yours, so I got curious-" She asked Natalie nervously, but she got interrupted.

"It's alright, sweetie. You probably expect some noble reason like wanting to save children who are left parentless, but it wasn't like that unfortunately. Shortly after me and John got married and settled down, I got pregnant. We were through the roof happy, but I ended up having a miscarriage. Having grown up in a traditional family, I've never actually went to a gynecologist. Even after I got pregnant, I simply relied on my parents for knowledge. But while being in the hospital, I was told I was born with a womb of weird shape and I am unfit to carry children. So like I said, it wasn't noble at all. More like selfish."

Natalie took a small pause, turning off the water as she was done with the dishes. They both sat down at the table and Natalie surprisingly brought out a pack of cigarettes. She lit one up and signaled at her with a finger to her lips to keep quiet that she was smoking.

"But we turned it on its head. The twins you see, were sons of a family of sailors. Both of them gone in an instant, lost at sea. The kids were barely rescued alive and poor babies suffered such a trauma that they didn't even remember their names. Thing is, the only belongings they had left were some soaking wet, dirty plushies of Tom and Jerry. And that's why their names are Thomas and Jeremy. They have a hard time recalling the past, but they do have an 'unexplained' fear of the ocean. We still haven't told them the truth, and I don't think we ever will, since they're happy the way they are now." After taking the time to process the information she just received, she replied in short words.

"That is noble."

"And it's probably why we ended up with Angela on our doorstep one day." Natalie's new addition to the topic truly caught her off guard. She asked for a double take on that sentence.

"What?"

"Our guess is that she is the daughter of an ex-neighbor of ours. She was only 18, God save her soul. She disappeared soon after Angela arrived to us. She probably knew we adopted children and thought she'd be in good hands."

"That's... I don't know if that's sad or heartwarming."

"It's a little of both. We named her Angela, since we thought she was a gift sent by the Angels."

She had never imagined the pasts of these kids Keith grew up with, of this amazing family, could ever be so tragic. On a second thought, Keith being part of such a big family didn't seem so peculiar anymore. From what she knew, his story was just as saddening. But she inquired for further details.

"What about Keith?"

"As you probably know, his mom left when he was just a baby. Never actually seen her, although his dad didn't live far from us. Keith's dad, Frank, was a fireman. He tragically died trying to rescue a family. Keith ended up in an orphanage for about 4 years before we offered to shelter him. He was so alone, so scared and they weren't treating his nightmares correctly. It pained me to let him stay there; so we took him home and calmed down his anxiety by showing him he can count on us."

"That's so sweet." An uncontrollable sad smile spread across her lips, accompanied with a strange ache in her heart.

"We tried our best, no matter how difficult he was as a kid. I still remember the hissy fit he threw when we moved his room." She remembered Keith also mentioned this before, when they were in Angela's room. However, she was not familiar with one of the terms Natalie used.

"Hissy fit?"

"Hysteria fit. Tantrum." She explained, with an understanding tone of voice. One thing that was amazing about Natalie, was that she was so gentle with everything.

"Ah..."

"We always blamed ourselves for being bad parents whenever he distanced himself from people... back then and when he moved to his father's house too. I feel like he didn't realize our love. We truly do love him, even if he's not adopted. He's one of us." After hearing all of those stories, she had no doubt Keith was indeed part of that family.

"I'm sure he knows that now. He's come very far since I first met him." She replied reassuringly. It was true, she was indeed sure Keith now knew how much his family went through to raise him the right way.

"I pray he does."

Shortly after, John and Keith came into the house as well. John seemed a little disappointed at seeing Natalie smoke, but didn't say anything. A quick glance was enough to tell the parents needed some time to discuss between themselves as well, so Keith and his girlfriend quickly made their exit and headed to the stairs.

"Had fun?" Keith asked her, using the hook to bring down the ladder to the attic.

"I think I have a diploma in the family's history now."

"Oh boy." He urged her to climb the ladder first, to assure her safety.

"What about you?" She asked him, head already inside the space of the attic. From even a single glance, she could tell it used to be a library.

"I always love hearing John talk about his work. He's a super skilled carpenter. A lot of the furniture around here is actually made by him. Sturdy _and_ beautiful."

"That's... impressive." She commented, but it came out a little more soulless than she intended because she was concentrated in examining the attic.

There was a couch in the middle nestled before a huge TV with an obvious console plugged into it. The controllers were thrown on the floor, and the couch had leftover bags of chips on it.

"Those scoundrels!" Keith exclaimed, then hurried to clean the mess his siblings made. She continued the task of staring mouth agape at the room; the walls were all painted with shining stars, trinkets hanged from the ceiling. In the back was a small, tidy made bed with a purple lava lamp next to it. Next to the bed were posters of various artists, some that she could recognize since Keith was still into them, but some she's never heard about. On the other side however, were the library shelves, packed with books from top to bottom. What caught her attention however, was a certain wooden drawer door with the name Keith doodled on its surface.

Keith showed up behind her, scaring the daylights out of her, and opened said door with ease, revealing a bunch of dark blue books.

"Astronomy books. I read these over and over as a kid. Learnt the constellations like the alphabet." Impressed, she kept quiet, even when Keith took out a book to read on his bed. She read the titles of all the books, and true to his words, they were all heavily scientifical.

"You always knew what you wanted, didn't you?" She asked, although she knew the answer to the question. There were traces of anxiety in her voice, which Keith picked up with ease.

"Are you anxious about the future too?" The question was the perfect trap, the perfect sign to let her know he was also scared.

"Yes..." She gave a very disheartened answer. Keith called her over to envelop her in his arms and they cuddled in the old bed, with a tiny amount of struggle since the bed was made for one person only.

"Well, if all goes well you'll be able to attend university here, right?"

"I've sent the applications, yes. It's all a waiting game now." The negativity in her voice seemed out of character to Keith, and so he showed her a pout.

"A wise birdy once told me to be more positive." He added, in a sing song voice.

"Really? Never met her."

"You definitely should. She's the best thing that ever happened to me." Caught off guard, she shuffled in his hold to turn around to look at him.

"I am?"

"I cannot thank you enough for everything you have given me, everything you have taught me... you in general, you're a blessing, baby. And I'm sure as hell not letting go of you, no matter what the future holds."

"Thank you." She replied softly.

"No, thank you." His grip on her only seemed to tighten. But it wasn't uncomfortable. "For giving me so many chances. For opening my eyes to the world. For showing me what love really means." With every single sentence, Keith gave her neck a quick peck. Then, he trailed off. "Especially when it comes to family. I mean, when I look at you and how you love your parents so much no matter how much they give you hard times... I realize how dumb I was for not appreciating this amazing family that have protected me for so long." Like a puppy, she tilted her head and have him an amusing smile.

"They're such good hearted people, Keith." She then said, getting back to the serious tone of the conversation.

"They are. But I won't dwell in the past anymore. I'll make sure to make up for the annoying kid I was. And you'll help me, right? For the next three months at least." That was the amount of time she managed to wrestle out of her parents to grant her. She didn't yet tell them that she applied to go to university in Texas, next to Keith. They would call her crazy if they found out.

"I'll do my best." She answered with a sigh, trying to shake away the thoughts of the storm waiting for her back home. Staring at the spinning fluorescent stars hanging from the ceiling, they enjoyed the way they radiated warmth onto the other's person for a while. Although it was still only afternoon, she could feel the exhaustion chasing her and Keith's comforting presence was also urging her to become sleepy.

"We should make a pact." He then suddenly said. Drowsy, she entertained his new found idea.

"A pact?"

"For the next three months, let's forget about everything. Let's just be happy." She chuckled at the thought with less energy than she hoped she would. She really was tired.

"That sounds like what I've always tried to do." She muttered to him.

"Yes, but now I promise to cooperate." Although not wrong, she didn't think Keith was the only reason why they couldn't simply be happy the past months. "So?" He pressed on, especially when he noticed she was slowly breathing more deeply. She opened her eyes back up, only briefly, to locate his face and give him a kiss before nestling back to his chest.

"Okay, yeah. Let's just be happy."

The orange sun was battling to remain high on the sky as she quietly fell asleep, relaxed and protected in her lover's embrace. Soon enough, Keith joined her and they both napped and dreamt of signs of fortune and prosperity.

When they woke up however, they started their new life, united and stronger than ever, with one purpose only: to live happily, love deeply, but this time _untroubled._

**Author's Note:**

> Long message ahead:
> 
> It's been quite a journey writing this. I didn't think I'd take the time to write another long story right after Crash and Burn was finished. I'm glad I did, though. Keith's foster family is a previously untapped territory that I've always thought of. I know the prompt of the story doesn't come in until you're at 12k words, but I couldn't help myself from building an entire world for these awesome people I imagined to impact Keith's life.  
> Maybe it's a lot less action packed than my other works... maybe it doesn't offer the juicy romance and such but I made sure to send forth some important opinions on family life. I hope someone out there, reads this and is able to relate to such feelings Keith went through.  
> Also, to me it was very important to specify, Keith is Keith, and you are you. Don't be afraid to take things at a slower pace and discover what is best for you.  
> What I fear most about this fanfic is that it will appear to be boring. It doesn't contain a big conflict, per se, only small emotional revelations about relationship dynamics. Even so, I hope this rose up to expectations.
> 
> Like always, thank you for reading and let me know your thoughts below! :) Take care of yourselves.


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